From the Sublime to the Ridiculous

There is something about retired sailors that make them more inclined to write their memoirs than any other category of person. Arriving at the theory that sailors tend to have led more eventful lives, and seen more of the world than most other people, But there is another element too: whether sailors have absorbed a cultural tradition of sailors' tales that has it's origins in the days where sailors were the only source of news and information about the wide world. Those days have gone, but sailors still have the urge to tell tales of far-flung places and even stranger experiences. The narrative opens without preamble in the Devon town of Crediton, on the day a fifteen year old Brian Haley said goodbye to the weeping mother and set off to begin his training in the Royal Navy. This memoir is a lengthy and vividly detailed account of the harsh regime at the Royal Navy training establishment in Gosport. Many memoirs have been written, but this memoir is different. Partly due to Brian's ability as a storyteller, but this is mainly due to his attitude. Memoirs like this are written with hindsight, and usually authors take the view " well, it never did me any harm, it toughened me up". Paradoxically, these authors soften and tone down their description. Not so Brian Haley. He has not set out to do a hatchet job on the Royal navy, but nor does he soften anything. We read in full a training regime that crossed the line between toughening and sadistic bullying. We also read about the terrible, degrading effects it has had on some recruits, such as those with facial injuries after having their cap ritually smashed into their nose, or the boy who wet himself, when forced into a boxing match against a fellow recruit. Or a friend who purposely cut off his own little finger in an attempt to get kicked out of the Royal Navy, as once you signed up you were signed on for twelve long years ( the attempt failed). We get an intensely detailed portrayal of the life, routines and technology aboard a naval vessel of the period, linked to a sequence of equally vivid descriptions of the places en route as they appeared through the eyes of the author's young self. At the same time, all of this is put into context with frequent asides which fill in the local history and explain why naval ships were active in particular places at particular times. After a period of specialisation in anti-submarine duties, we move on to the main phase of the memoir, the authors period of service as a member of the crew of the Royal Yacht Britannia. This is a big eye-opener, an insight into the running of one of the most unusual, famous and, in some eyes, controversial naval vessels of it's day. Serving aboard the Royal Yacht required a whole new set of skills, such as dealing with the media and a new approach to discipline which boiled down to" make one mistake and you are out". The account is strictly professional, so if you are hoping for any juicy revelations about the Royal Family you will be disappointed. The narrative is built around a fascinating account of a single cruise in 1970 which followed the route of Captain James Cook Royal Navy on his voyage to Australia two hundred years previously. The last phrase of the memoir is the Task Force that set out to the South Atlantic to reclaim the Falkland Island after the Argentine invasion. Following this section, the memoir winds down to a gentle time close to retirement from the royal Navy and the sense of trepidation at embarking on civilian life. The combination of storytelling ability, a refusal to gloss over unpleasantness and an extraordinary memory for detail, plus an ability to describe it interestingly all make for a very enjoyable and informative stroll through naval life.